Hope this topic hasn't be done to death, but I'm curious as to how religious a random sampling of forum members are and why.

I'm an atheist, and I've referred to myself as such since about 10th grade. I did my communion and got confirmed in a Catholic church growing up because my parents wanted me to have a religion, but it never gelled with me. I remember my youth listening to some kind of creed that got said each time about how we are the servants of God, and always thought "I'm not some invisible man's servant."

As a non-conformist, religion never suited me, but I remember being quite fearful that I didn't believe, because hell seemed bad, and as a kid nobody told me atheism was an option.

That changed when I started studying history in high school. Learning about a plethora of different religions throughout time across the world showed me there was more than one option, and hearing about the morally corrupt practices of church officials and religious wars made me realize that religion is really just an elitist reflection of different societal values at the time.

A fellow historian recently said "I don't know how anybody can study history and not be an atheist," which I completely agree with.

I guess what I'm saying is I'm not religious at all because of my years studying different religions and their effect on the world.

I'm an Atheist, but I don't think we "are all our own god". I'm not even sure what that would entail. I learnt a lot about world religions, philosophy and ethics in secondary school, but I never was religious to start with. Wasn't baptized, either, my parents wanted to leave that up to me. So. Yeah.

I use to be deep into Christianity for the majority of my life. But my faith in it waned to the point that last November I severed ties with the church. I went back a few months after to see if there was still some kind of spark, but I just felt like an outsider at that point.

My beliefs now are a bit hard to describe. But the only doctrine I find important enough to base my life on is the three-fold law.

Agnostic Atheist is a more correct way of stating my beliefs, although that essentially means atheist with a margin of reasonable allowance due to the fact that making a statement of 100% truth without 100% of the available evidence just doesn't feel like good practice...

Also: We are all our own god? Really? -.- Feels like a very arrogant way of phrasing it.

Skeleon:I'm an Atheist, but I don't think we "are all our own god". I'm not even sure what that would entail.

I guess it's just one of my phrases I occasionally bust out. Christians believe that God is the creator, but from my perspective, I'm the creator. Everything I see, hear, or think is interpreted by my mind, while everything you perceive is created by your mind. This sort of logic has echoes of phenomenalism, in that every phenomena out there is perceived variably by the individual. I decide my morality and will ultimately judge my decisions. There is no higher judge of my experiences beyond myself, which is why I say "atheists see God in the mirror every day."

George Carlin had a great line decades ago when he was explaining why he made God a character in his act. "After all, we created him...in our own image and likeness..."

Brandon237:Agnostic Atheist is a more correct way of stating my beliefs, although that essentially means atheist with a margin of reasonable allowance due to the fact that making a statement of 100% truth without 100% of the available evidence just doesn't feel like good practice...

Also: We are all our own god? Really? -.- Feels like a very arrogant way of phrasing it.

Arrogant you say? I kind of see what you're saying, but could you explain what specifically makes that arrogant?

I feel you on the agnostic atheist viewpoint, which is what I had at one point in my life. Eventually I came to terms with the fact that I didn't believe in any way. It just doesn't make any sense to me, so I'm admittedly taking the same type of leap-of-faith saying there is no God that religious folk do when they say that there is. I guess it's part of my own morality to express what I truly believe rather than hedge my bets with the agnostic angle.

Mr.Cynic88:I guess it's just one of my phrases I occasionally bust out. Christians believe that God is the creator, but from my perspective, I'm the creator. Everything I see, hear, or think is interpreted by my mind, while everything you perceive is created by your mind. This sort of logic has echoes of phenomenalism, in that every phenomena out there is perceived variably by the individual. I decide my morality and will ultimately judge my decisions. There is no higher judge of my experiences beyond myself, which is why I say "atheists see God in the mirror every day."

Yeah, I don't agree with such a view. It lends itself to solipsism, ego- and anthropocentrism and even - gasp - Ayn Rand style ideologies. But I guess that just goes to show that Atheists can differ quite a lot. Now, I don't know in what way those views of yours inform your other views or your behaviours, but I can honestly say I dislike that as a starting point. I see myself more as a humanist and as such community and interhuman values are highly important. It may not be reliant on "objective" values (i. e. subjective views of a powerful being which - through might makes right - makes it objective somehow) but an intersubjective approach with consensus is extremely important. Can't let it fall into complete subjectivity, either.

George Carlin had a great line decades ago when he was explaining why he made God a character in his act. "After all, we created him...in our own image and likeness..."

That I certainly agree with. I didn't know Carlin said that. I probably heard a similar notion from some philosopher, it's hardly unique. But I think it's definitely true. I just find it ridiculous to think of a god entity that rules the universe in its unimaginable vastness and age, but cares about people better not - for example - eating pork!!!

Interesting. My viewpoints do sort of lend themselves to those viewpoints, until you start getting into the details of those belief systems, and then they often lose me. I like to see that atheists have different ways of looking at things, because I would hate to belong to an atheist cult.

It HAS been done to death...But it was at least a month or so since we had it, so..Eh, who cares. I don't know what to say on the topic, though. I'm Agnostic. I'm open to the idea of God, but unless I see some proof, I won't adhere to any tenets of faith. Afterall, which tenets, and which faith? Why the Bible? Why the Koran? Why the Torah? Why not Zeus, or Odin? Etc, etc, I can go on listing argument as to why I remain skeptical. The fun thing is that if God truly is 'good' in the way we westerns conceive of 'good', and exists as the Judeo-Christian God, then I see it rather likely that I will go to heaven afterall, DESPITE my deep doubts in his existence. He's 'good', isn't he? So he'll be understanding. Understanding as to why I doubt. Understanding as to why all the arguments have some merit. He's forgiving too, etc. Basically, unless I start doing some rather obviously evil stuff, I will go to heaven. And even then, he's merciful and understanding. I have no reason to fear hell, for no possible Good God could condemn a person to eternal suffering.

Then again, God might not be 'good' in the way we think of him, or might not be the Judeo-Christian God anyway, so I might be screwed. But I'll take those odds.

Agnostic-atheist best suits me, I suppose, so I just voted "agnostic." I reject the idea of a god, especially as imagined in organized religion (as in god is a specific dude who has done certain things and views "His" creation in a certain way and should be worshiped and obeyed, however the hell people know "His" will, for whatever justification), but I don't think it's impossible for such an entity to exist. Since there's no proof however, I sure wouldn't bet on a god existing, let alone believe in one. The universe is amazing enough on its own without having faith that an old bearded man made it all. In fact that would ruin it for me somewhat if it were true.

I guess an element of anti-theism is in me as well. I can really get behind the theme of god-slaying present in a number of Final Fantasy titles. XD

EDIT: Heh, forgot to explain why. I guess I just wasn't raised in an environment that instilled a sense of belief in me and I sure wasn't born with an "innate sense of Christ" like some believe. My father was born a Catholic and my mother a Protestant, but they aren't adherent to those values and have never forced them on me. In other words, they're not religious yet nevertheless believe in some god. I do remember being read stories from a children's Bible when I was very young, but I didn't believe in those any more than I believed in books about talking bunnies going on adventures. In fact I didn't even know that Jesus Christ was a real person who lived at some point in history until a couple years ago.

Basically, I have no freaking clue whether or not a creator figure exists. But if one does, I'm convinced mankind is responsible for its own destiny and for whatever reason has not been guided in any significant way.

I believe fully in science and mostly the bible. I've found that they are not enemies. Example: the big bang fits to me. I haven't gone to church in some time and if I find one that supports my views, then I will go back. Being in the military doesn't help with my search as the ones around bases just aren't for me.

I've studied quite a lot of history, a bit into religions, and a significant amount of science(about to be a lot more thanks to my majoring in Physics) and I am a Christian. I would never be so bold or claim to be so wise as to say I am certain God exists, no one really knows that one way or another. My views are fairly consistent with what many mainline denominations believe, but I have ideas of my own on a lot of issues.

I think I've broken through whatever "atheist" is and come out as something else, anti-theist?

I despise the concept of religion and consider those who follow it to be either evil deceptive manipulators or brainwashed. Either no god convinced you - rather a person did - OR you experienced an event you couldn't understand and perceived it to be the work of some divine being when, in all honesty, there was a simple explanation as to how it happened.

The "you can't be certain there isn't one" line of logic is just painful. The religions that survived this day didn't survive because they were right, they survived because they were being followed by the most powerful empires of their time that managed to reach the information era. The religions that formed a hierarchy of power and organized themselves survived, those that were more communal, shamanistic and more concerned with spirituality rather than real world power did not... funny that.

I'm a Buddhist, and as a lay Buddhist we only have 5 rules we have to follow: No lying, no killing, no sexual misconduct, no liquor/drugs (which is really up for interpretation), no stealing.

So I chose the 'somewhat' option. I uphold these precepts every day, and try to cultivate as much compassion towards everyone as possible, and meditate when I can. That's really all we need to do, as Buddhists. Well... as a lay follower, anyway.

OP's background is similar to my own. Agnostic athiest here, didn't vote in the poll though, as I don't really see an option that fits how I view myself. I don't consider myself religious at all, though I do consider myself tolerant of most religious beliefs.

BlackConservative:I'm not religious at all but I have an unwavering belief/faith in God. Nothing anyone could say or do would sway me.

captcha: move over, lol touche captcha, touche.

Yep, same here.I feel I should doing something that would convict me more in my faith, such as actually reading the Bible or going to church but there just isn't that push.It's kind of funny, we're not very religious, we should be the kinds of people who are the easiest to convert but we just... don't.

Chasing-The-Light:I'm a Buddhist, and as a lay Buddhist we only have 5 rules we have to follow: No lying, no killing, no sexual misconduct, no liquor/drugs (which is really up for interpretation), no stealing.

So I chose the 'somewhat' option. I uphold these precepts every day, and try to cultivate as much compassion towards everyone as possible, and meditate when I can. That's really all we need to do, as Buddhists. Well... as a lay follower, anyway.

What actions qualify as sexual misconduct? I doubt it's the same as the criminal law term.

For me, in my early teens, it was the absurd stories of the Bible with the argument from misunderstanding, cherry picking to the extreme and just plain made up arguments to support them. I really wanted to believe in the Christian god but the basis of that belief was fundamentally broken. I could claim them as metaphors but they're written as historical narratives, not parables. I could not resolve the conflict between wishful thinking and scepticism, so I dumped the former.

Chasing-The-Light:I'm a Buddhist, and as a lay Buddhist we only have 5 rules we have to follow: No lying, no killing, no sexual misconduct, no liquor/drugs (which is really up for interpretation), no stealing.

So I chose the 'somewhat' option. I uphold these precepts every day, and try to cultivate as much compassion towards everyone as possible, and meditate when I can. That's really all we need to do, as Buddhists. Well... as a lay follower, anyway.

What actions qualify as sexual misconduct? I doubt it's the same as the criminal law term.

Sexual misconduct is basically the same thing as sodomy; though, the Dalai Lama seems to believe that the scripture related to it might have been specific to certain societal contexts. This fits with the general idea that the Vinaya (monastic community) should work to fit with whatever community they're currently practicing in, and with the accepted fact that some translations completely reword things to have them fit whatever language they're being translated to.

Atheist, but the phrase "We are all our own god" would be better suited to LaVeyan Satanism, not Atheism. I don't believe in deities or the supernatural of any kind, thus I don't consider myself or anyone else as a deity or bearer of any kind of power (that isn't political or etc).

The reason for why, is, to me, because it makes the most sense. There are far, far too many unanswered questions in religion, too many "plotholes" as well. I don't see how any kind of magic or supernatural phenomena can exist. Thus, I choose to believe what I can see, what I know. What we can understand. What makes sense. And that belief tells me no god or pantheon of gods, nor magic or the supernatural has created or developed this world, or changed it in any way. My belief tells me they are myth, legends created by men of the past and only upheld today because of people's reluctance to change tradition. That's my belief, and I hold onto it pretty firmly.

Raised Catholic, been agnostic most of my life though. I believe there are things in this universe far beyond our understanding. Perhaps there is a greater 'will' or something that has consciousness. We barely understand our own. I find religions and atheism both equally arrogant in their assumptions (being absolute in their views). I prefer to say 'maybe, maybe not, we do not know, we may never know'.

Cyberbob87:Raised Catholic, been agnostic most of my life though. I believe there are things in this universe far beyond our understanding. Perhaps there is a greater 'will' or something that has consciousness. We barely understand our own. I find religions and atheism both equally arrogant in their assumptions (being absolute in their views). I prefer to say 'maybe, maybe not, we do not know, we may never know'.

Believing it to be unknown or indeed unknowable is not incompatible with also having a belief one way or the other. I didn't know who would win Wimbledon, but I believed it would be Djokovic.

Now, if someone says that they know the truth, fair enough, that's quite arrogant. But not even Dawkins says that, and most religious folk don't either.

Cyberbob87:I find religions and atheism both equally arrogant in their assumptions (being absolute in their views).

Atheism (or theism in that matter) isn't an absolute. Atheism means you lack belief in a/any deity, as in not enough evidence.

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But to the OT, I would say I'm an Apatheist. Don't know, don't care, even if there was a god I wouldn't change how I lived. Although, that is mixed a bit with anti-theism due to living in Alabama where everyone is a good God-fearing American and if you're not, well then, you're a Satan-spawn! (I'm exaggerating...a little.)

Religion is a fungible concept these days, for instance I picked the last option: "None of the above. I don't follow organized religion, but I have my own faith." But I could just as easily have picked the first option: "Highly. I read and agree with my religious literature and the teachings of my faith." For my religious literature concerns astrological cosmology, scientific articles on black holes, dark matter/dark energy, geometric unity/unified theory...

Well, I mostly agree with it, assuming I understand it, which isn't always the case.

First off, "we are our own gods" is rather contentious don't you think? No one who is an Atheist, Gnostic or Agnostic, would identify or define themselves as such. That is the height of egotism. I would go so far to say that is worse then the Christian belief that we are made in gods image.

Also, for clarities sake, Atheism is not a religion. There is no doctrine or ritualistic practice, no principles or requirement for reflection. The only condition required to be Atheistic is simply NOT having Theistic Belief. Atheism can, at a stretch, be considered a belief system, but it is definitely not a religion (Not implying that is what you think, just that the Poll seems to infer that Atheism is a religion when you read the final option in context of the previous options).

Anyway, I am Gnostic Atheist, in the sense that I am absolutely certain none of the historical and contemporary deities exist in any way or form beyond the desperate attempts to define the universe without adequate knowledge or the patience/competence to pursue it.

That being said, I would consider the concept of a God like entity as possible, in so far as we don't know enough about our universe (and beyond) and the laws that govern it to completely discount the existence of a vastly more advanced metaphysical entity.

But I have no doubt in my mind that the Supernatural entities that are depicted in religious cultures, do NOT exist. Since they are the only definitions of God/s we acknowledge then I would say I don't believe, with 100% certainty, that such gods exist.

So again, Gnostic Atheist based on the only definitions we currently have of Gods. There could be a greater sentient force influencing the universe, but its not a supernatural being of mythological texts... if it exists it exists within the parameters or nature (or maybe is the fabric of nature itself) but it's not a God as we have come to know them religious mythologies.